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After obtaining her badge, Kalia didn't leave Totem City immediately. The next city was quite close, and challenging its gym could be easily accomplished by flying directly there. There was no need to complicate matters by staying overnight at the eighth gym's location.
The eighth gym marked the final and strongest of the standard gyms. Earning eight badges signifies becoming an elite among mid-level Trainers.
However, possessing just eight badges still leaves a significant gap before reaching high-level Trainer status. The difference between mid- and high-level Trainers is substantial and requires considerable time to bridge.
The eighth gym specializes in Dragon-types, with an interesting connection to Taro: the Gym Leader was once his ardent admirer. After Taro gained fame, several followers emulated him, focusing on training Dragon-type Pokémon exclusively.
Despite their immense power, Dragon-type Pokémon have long growth periods and are exceedingly rare, making them difficult to acquire. For ordinary trainers, even encountering a Dragon-type Pokémon is unlikely, let alone capturing powerful ones.
The Dragon-type Gym's Leader was among Taro's successful admirers. Not only did they capture multiple powerful Dragon-type Pokémon, but through their dedication and efforts, this individual became the five-star Gym Leader, transforming the eighth gym into a Dragon-type one.
Kalia decided not to challenge it immediately after the previous gym, despite her Pokémon being strong enough. She preferred to take a brief break before proceeding.
Even if she succeeded, there wasn't enough time for her to participate in this year's League Competition with just two months left. Rapidly enhancing her Pokémon's strength wouldn't suffice, and passing the high-level Trainer assessment within such a short span seemed unlikely as well.
Her goal was set on next year's League Competition. By aiming to pass the Trainer assessment by the end of this year, she could potentially become the youngest high-level Trainer ever.
In the meantime, Kalia continued training her Pokémon diligently, increasing their prowess. Additionally, she prepared to capture her fifth Pokémon. After researching various options and considering her current team composition, she had already decided which species would be her fifth companion.
***
Another month swiftly passed.
The Sebas region remained peaceful, while significant changes occurred in the Ellie Region due to the dissolution of the Dark Guild. With control over Genesect's power now in their hands, they successfully revived even more of these ancient creatures.
Currently, the Ellie Region boasted an army of one hundred Genesects—a formidable force that significantly bolstered their overall strength.
Originally, both regions had comparable power levels, with constant tensions but maintaining a delicate balance. This prevented major conflicts; at most, they occasionally held competitions to showcase their Trainers' skills. Recently, they even collaborated to repel Kyogre together.
However, as one side experienced a substantial boost in strength, the already stronger Ellie Region became increasingly arrogant and assertive.
Despite being separated by sea, friction between the two regions persisted. News of the Ellie Region acquiring Genesects spread, further emboldening its residents, who grew more disdainful towards those from Sebas.
These shifts might seem insignificant, but people in the Sebas region found it increasingly intolerable. The inhabitants of Ellie were already known for their arrogance, leading to frequent bullying of Sebans living temporarily or permanently in the Ellie Region.
Even trade between the two regions diminished, impacting many merchants financially. Some, with short tempers, completely severed ties with the Ellie Region.
Unbeknownst to them, the escalating tensions amplified, hinting at a potential outbreak of large-scale chaos.
***
"Heh heh, didn't expect such a remote corner to develop something like this."
In some location within the Sebas region, the leader from the Allen Continent rubbed a Z-crystal between his fingers, astonishment flickering in his eyes.
"Captain, these are called Z-crystals and supposedly enhance move power. However, compared to our Dynamax on the Allen Continent, they're far inferior—mere trash," sneered a young man wearing glasses, clearly dismissing the Z-crystal as worthless.
"While it may not match our Dynamax, there's no need to belittle it. Don't underestimate this place; there are quite a few formidable Trainers here. I heard this was developed by the Ellie Region," the captain mused, examining the Z-crystal thoughtfully.
"Captain, I've heard that the Ellie Region controls over a hundred Genesects. Where did they obtain them? Even on the Allen Continent, we haven't seen Genesects for a long time," asked the bespectacled youth.
The captain, being the most knowledgeable among them, possessed vast information. He had organized this challenging three-year journey.
"That's true. This place must have been significant during ancient times, but it doesn't matter now. Compared to our Allen Continent, even another hundred Genesects would be insignificant." The captain shook his head; the power of the Allen Continent far exceeded imagination, standing on a much higher level than this region.
"Now that we're familiar with this area, our next task is to find a way to establish contact with the Allen Continent," the captain continued.
Due to the vast distance, conventional communication equipment could not bridge the gap. There were no signal towers across the North Sea, necessitating the dispatch of Pokémon back as messengers.
The Allen Continent had advanced systems for translating Pokémon languages, so instead of sending humans, they only needed to send Pokémon. Once their speech was translated, the Allen Continent would receive updates about these two regions here.
"Before arriving, it took us three years due to unfamiliarity with the route. However, I've now mapped out the journey. By having Pokémon carry the map back, future trips can be completed within less than a year," the captain explained further.
"Which Pokémon should we entrust with carrying the map and flying back?" asked the young man with glasses. It's important to note that there are few islands in the North Sea, providing limited resting spots for Pokémon.
Typically, few Pokemon could endure such long flights, and their flying speed needed to be exceptionally high; otherwise, it might take several years just to reach the Allen Continent.
"Don't worry, I've already thought about it. My Thundurus will carry the map back," the captain calmly replied.
"Thundurus? That's your strongest Pokemon!" the glasses-wearing young man exclaimed, surprised. Thundurus was a legendary Pokemon and also the captain's most powerful companion.
During their journey here, they had flown on Thundurus. Although its flight speed wasn't the fastest, as a legendary Pokemon, crossing the ocean alone posed no significant challenge.
Thundurus indeed seemed like the best choice, but without it, the captain's combat capabilities would significantly diminish, causing concern for the glasses-wearing young man.
"It's fine. Our mission is to wait for the Allen Continent forces' arrival while avoiding unnecessary battles. However, we can try stirring up tensions between these two regions, ideally leading to a full-scale war," the captain shook his head and explained.
"I understand." The glasses-wearing young man nodded. With a major conflict underway, casualties would be inevitable. This would make it easier for the Allen Continent forces to conquer both regions once they arrive.